... on ice again. A choice of clear ice or 3-4 cm of firm snow over it makes for a beautiful start to a season. And Nasas seem like a perfect tool for the first runs in light conditions.

NICE

Was this at LDA or Spray Lakes?
I will be in Calgary over Christmas. Hopefully Canuck and I can meet up with you!

Nice.....




How thick is the ice?

My lake froze over last night but I doubt it will last. Was 10f this morning but will be back in the 40's next week. Getting closer

We've had an abnormally high amount of snow which - on one hand - slowed down formation of ice on shallow lakes with some ice already on but also helped to speed up cooling of open water on deeper lakes. LDA had all the snow blown off, so on my first go at it, it had 5 cm of fairly good quality ice (I would estimate about 180-200 flexural). It has been growing about 2 cm per day so now I don't even bother drilling it. Unfortunately ferocious wind a few days ago blocked access road with drifts. Cochrane Lk. was already snow covered with 8 cm of ice on my first day there. I hate when I can't see the ice at the beginning of the season so I surveyed relatively small area and stay on it resisting the temptation to blast across the lake on beautiful surface. The ice there is growing at less than half the rate of clear ice (about 1 cm per day) so in surveyed area there is 14 cm now so it is likely to be safe everywhere. Deep lakes are still not usable though Ghost was almost completely frozen and free of snow so it should be ready soon. Spray, with generally less wind and therefore more snow cover, will take longer.